Rain, sunshine, hail, snow, blazing heat, cool breezes, gusting winds and perfect weather. Bum knee, sore shoulder, throbbing feet, numb toes, strained calf and chafed hips. Lazy days, motivated days, days with no water, swimming days, days where you would rather be inside and days of pure awe and extacy. Three months living in the woods makes quite the impression on you. More so than I ever thought possible. Never in my life would I have ever pictured myself dancing around a bonfire or rocking a mowhawk. I came out here with reservations about myself and preconceived notions about what life should be. Three months on the Appalachian Trail has given me a breath of new life. People picture this as just an extended walk in the woods, but it has become so much more than that. Yes, some of the views will make you stop and reevaluate your place in the world, but it is the people who have truly created the experience. I have met people who have changed my life forever, and created everlasting bonds with complete strangers in a matter of minutes. I've cried for the first time in almost three years because Frosty had to get off trail. I've learned how to completely open myself up to people out here, and it doesn't matter if we are two completely different people from completely different backgrounds. None of that matters out here. We all share a common bond.

I definitely feel like a changed man out here. Out here where social norms are non existent. You can be the most pure version of yourself without having to worry about what anybody else thinks. Everyone out here is a little quirky and crazy. You kind of have to be if you have commited yourself to being totally exposed to the world and its elements for 6 months. I think it's that mixture of everyone's unique personality and being in the "wild" that really brings out the true person inside.

After three months and 1000 miles in the woods I have learned so much about myself and what I am capable of. Being completely invested in the present moment is just as natural as breathing. No more worrying about some future scenario that I may concoct in my head that never turns out the way I may think. No more analyzing past events and guessing on what I could have done or said differently. The present moment is truly the only moment that matters. The wind blowing through the trees, a conversation with an incredible person, a small flower on the side of the trail; these events are always unique to themselves and need to be appreciated. Why be distracted by something else when you have life right in front of your face?

I guess what I am trying to say is, when your heart feels like it's about to jump out of your chest and you are staring up the face of 4000 foot mountain with the hot sun beating down on your face. You can either choose to be miserable or enjoy the hell out of it. So why not pop in your favorite song, put a smile on, and dance up that fucking mountain?

Rain, sunshine, hail, snow, blazing heat, cool breezes, gusting winds and perfect weather. Bum knee, sore shoulder, throbbing feet, numb toes, strained calf and chafed hips. Lazy days, motivated days, days with no water, swimming days, days where you would rather be inside and days of pure awe and extacy. Three months living in the woods makes quite the impression on you. More so than I ever thought possible. Never in my life would I have ever pictured myself dancing around a bonfire or rocking a mowhawk. I came out here with reservations about myself and preconceived notions about what life should be. Three months on the Appalachian Trail has given me a breath of new life. People picture this as just an extended walk in the woods, but it has become so much more than that. Yes, some of the views will make you stop and reevaluate your place in the world, but it is the people who have truly created the experience. I have met people who have changed my life forever, and created everlasting bonds with complete strangers in a matter of minutes. I've cried for the first time in almost three years because Frosty had to get off trail. I've learned how to completely open myself up to people out here, and it doesn't matter if we are two completely different people from completely different backgrounds. None of that matters out here. We all share a common bond.

I definitely feel like a changed man out here. Out here where social norms are non existent. You can be the most pure version of yourself without having to worry about what anybody else thinks. Everyone out here is a little quirky and crazy. You kind of have to be if you have commited yourself to being totally exposed to the world and its elements for 6 months. I think it's that mixture of everyone's unique personality and being in the "wild" that really brings out the true person inside.

After three months and 1000 miles in the woods I have learned so much about myself and what I am capable of. Being completely invested in the present moment is just as natural as breathing. No more worrying about some future scenario that I may concoct in my head that never turns out the way I may think. No more analyzing past events and guessing on what I could have done or said differently. The present moment is truly the only moment that matters. The wind blowing through the trees, a conversation with an incredible person, a small flower on the side of the trail; these events are always unique to themselves and need to be appreciated. Why be distracted by something else when you have life right in front of your face?

I guess what I am trying to say is, when your heart feels like it's about to jump out of your chest and you are staring up the face of 4000 foot mountain with the hot sun beating down on your face. You can either choose to be miserable or enjoy the hell out of it. So why not pop in your favorite song, put a smile on, and dance up that fucking mountain?

Chestnut Knob to Laurel Creek
We woke up to bright blue skies and a valley engulfed by fog. It was interesting to see such an incredible view change so drastically. The hike for the day was relatively uneventful. We followed ridge lines which made it rocky but relatively easy terrain. There wasn't very much water for the day so we had to camel up and carry an extra liter. Our campsite for the night was next to a nice rolling creek. I always like falling asleep to the sound of water.

Laurel Creek to Helveys Mill Shelter
Trail Mom and I headed out of camp early to beat the heat. The morning hike was really overcast and humid. An hour into our hike we stumbled upon a wild turkey walking the trail. When it spotted us it hightailed it the other direction down the trail. Right after Cyclops caught up. We made our way to Bland and got a ride to Subway from past thru hiker Comfortably Numb. We sat at Subway for about 4 hours charging and gorging ourselves. After a quick trip to Dollar General, we hitched back to the trail and hiked onto the shelter. At the shelter we found Frosty! We have been hiking together since day 3 and had gotten separated for a few days. His birthday was the day prior so it was good to see him.

Helveys Mill Shelter to Dismal Falls
Not much to say about the day of hiking. The highlight of the day was stumbling upon a very small fawn that was nestled in the brush. The poor thing was so frightened by us that its only movements were to lift its tiny head up to see if we had left yet. From there we hiked on a little farther to Trent's Grocery for a delicious burger and milkshake. After dinner we continued on a few more miles to our campsite at Dismal Falls. The guidebook notes this as a great swimming hole but unfortunately for us it was far too cold.

Dismal Falls to Sugar Run Gap
The mornings terrain was nice and flat for about 7 miles. We had multiple footbridge crossings in a short period of time, and it was a nice break from the constant up and down. After the nice flat bit, we shot up into the sky 1000 feet. The climb was pretty tough and the heat of the day didn't make it any easier. Once on top of the ridge, we had some amazing views of the surrounding valleys. We could hear the cows mooing off in the distance. From the ridge we hikes on to check out Woods Hole Hostel which is an amazing hostel on an organic farm. If I wasn't leaving to go to Trail Days the next morning I definitely would have stayed. After checking out the hostel we headed back to the trailhead and set up camp where the next morning Trail Mom's parents would meet us to take us to Trail Days.

Trail Days
Trail Days is the largest hiker festival in the world and is held in Damascus, Va the weekend after Mothers Day. All of the major outdoor vendors attend and are on hand to fix thru hikers gear, and give out free stuff. Thousands of people descend on this little town and it is absolutely amazing. We arrived Friday afternoon and headed straight for Tent City which is where current and past thru hikers set up camp for the weekend. It is literally a city in the woods with different camps set up like Billville, Wonderland, Riff Raff, and Camp Mellow. Any open space within the trees had a tent set up in it. The ministry across the street offered free haircuts, showers, laundry, and food. I was able to get my mowhawk cleaned up and take a shower for the first time in 14 days. At night Tent City really comes alive with a massive bonfire and drum circle. They threw a special powder into the fire to turn the flames green and blue. It was definitely a unique experience dancing in the circle around the fire. During the day, we walked around town to all the vendor booths. Later in the day, we walked in the annual hiker parade. The onlookers of the parade dowsed us with water balloons and super soakers, I guess because we smell so bad. Trail Days was yet another life changing experience out on the trail. I will definitely be returning in the future.

Sugar Run Gap to Pearisburg, Va
The hike into Pearisburg was really easy. We stayed up on the ridge all morning and then hiked down into Pearisburg. We immediately went to the AYCE Chinese buffet and got our monies worth plus some. After lunch we did laundry, and once that was done Frosty rolled up in his rental car and easily convinced us all to drive to Blacksburg to go bowling. It was pretty interesting going to town in all of our hiker trash clothing. It was a really fun night doing normal life things.

Pearisburg, Va to Ridge Campsite
The trail coming out of Pearisburg is not how you usually picture the A.T. We walked through people's backyards, along a busy highway and bridge, by an industrial factory, and then around a smelly landfill. Quite the contrast from the days prior. Once we climbed to the top of the ridge we were rewarded with an unexpected view of West Virginia. I didn't realize that we were so close. After hanging around at the view for awhile we continued on across the ridge. It was relatively flat but rocky. As we hiked in the hiker train Chesepeake suddenly stopped. A bear was just hanging out about 30 yards in front of us. When it realized we were there it did a double take and bolted into the woods. After settling down from our first bear encounter, we continued to hike on.  I made a mistake in reading the guidebook and we accidently missed our campsite causing us to hike into the dark for a little bit until we were able to find a spot that wasn't covered in rocks.

Ridge Campsite to Footbridge Stream Campsite
I hiked out of camp alone and cruised along the trail to some music. It was a nice morning and the sun was shining. The trail dipped down into a valley and I ate lunch on some rocks in the middle of Stony Creek. From there I continued on along the creek to The Captains place. He has a zip line across the creek and offers free tenting and sodas in his property. I checked it out from across the creek and it didn't look like anyone was home so I didn't go across. From The Captains there was a steep climb up to Bailey Gap Shelter where I took a nice long nap to wait on everyone else. When everyone arrived they informed me that their plan was to night hike over the next ridge and down to the shelter. Luckily I took a nap. We set off and were able to catch the sunset at Wind Rock. No civilization in sight. We strapped on the headlamps and continued on. It was our first night hiking experience, and we saw a lot more wildlife than we were expecting. Deer were everywhere and we even saw another bear who bolted in the opposite direction. We made it to the campsite around midnight.